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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — completely
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — in football
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com